Your post makes me wonder were we would be with even a smidgen of objective media.
Posted by Jim Faith at May 31, 2005 01:10 AMWat is the sound of one hand clapping? About the same as anything Democrats say, to the people who get their news from the TV screens.
Posted by DeminNewJ at May 31, 2005 03:15 AMBush's populairty has always been artifically inflated. Never forget that hs numbers were lame until 9/11 and have fallen relentlessly ever since that artifical spike. Bush is simply finding his natural - low - level.
Posted by The Fool at May 31, 2005 03:30 AMIt's great to hear this, but leave it to the Democrats to find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Posted by Phil from New York at May 31, 2005 06:08 AMDon't underestimate the Bushies. I, too, hope that this is the end of Bush's political capital from the 2004 election. But they have shown an amazing willingness to push the ethical envelope to facilitate their agenda.
Like, what if we have another crisis. The use of color-code alerts is getting too old to work well, anymore. But a warning of something dire and imminent, a nationwide search for terrorists with photos... that kind of thing. I only use that as an example, because the idea is simple enough, although fraudulent: create a crisis out of thin air and use it to demand greater public support for a new emergency agenda.
I know Bush/Hitler comparisons are in bad/taste and Hitler was very bad, but don't forget the example of the March 1933 burning of the Reichstag. That was Hitler's own 9/11. And he knew exactly how he wanted to milk it. I really fear something like this. Perhaps an emergency war conflict in Iran or Syria... (?)
Isn't it tragic that we have come to the point of suspecting such things from our government?
Posted by Dumbo at May 31, 2005 06:19 AMWhat amazes me is that, with Bush polling lower than any Pres at this stage of a second term, and high public disapproval of nearly every action taken by Republicans, some Democrats are listening to the siren call of moderation & compromise. Do they not recall the fate of those who listen to Sirens - - total destruction? Now is not the time to compromise, but to say in bold, all-caps lettters all the ways in which Democrats are different, and offer more to every American below that 1% elite owned by the Republicans.
This shouldn't be a genteel croquet game, which is how Democrats seem to want it. For the minority party, it should be warfare as practiced by the ancients - - when the enemy is on the run, don't be nice. Cut him down, burn his fields, and confiscate his livestock.
How many "senior congressmen or administration officials" have been quoted anonymously due to their stated "Fear" of Bush reprisals...? Lots, no, all of them. Will there be a point where their own political future turns them on Bush? I strongly doubt it. Well, maybe late October of 07.
Posted by T2 at May 31, 2005 06:27 AMDoes anyone in the Bush administration ever say anything that they are willing to put their name to?
Other than 'the insurgency is on it's last legs' that is.
Posted by muckcat at May 31, 2005 06:32 AMBush White House and GOP Show Signs Of Cluelessness and Disarray
And so it has been for 4.5 years. Rove is good at getting someone into office. Clueless once that person is in. That's what you get for putting an alcoholic C+ Air Guard deserter in charge. When it's time to lead and do what's right, you get neither. Just paeans from the right about how marvelous this fool is.
Posted by phidipides at May 31, 2005 07:38 AMThe Status Quo is unpalatable to the GOP. Afghanistan and Iraq won the 2002 & 2004 elections. Iran for 2006. I assume planning has Israel leading off the bombing campaign and the USA being sucked in.
Posted by Jim S at May 31, 2005 07:56 AMThe mandate stuff was always a bunch of hooey. They didn't have one in 2000 - and they rammed almost everything through. Mainly I would argue because a gang of spineless wimpering democrats.
But they triumphed politically both in 2002 and 2004. Now they rule. They're scared now, because in the end they didn't convince the public they were right, they just convinced them the Dems were pretty worthless. So, now they don't know which way to go.
But they're still very much in power.
Posted by Samuel Knight at May 31, 2005 08:00 AMFor the minority party, it should be warfare as practiced by the ancients - - when the enemy is on the run, don't be nice. Cut him down, burn his fields, and confiscate his livestock.
Don't forget about stealing their wimmin and children.
Seriously -- people respect toughness, and the Democrats have forgotten how to be tough. Even more important, they have forgotten the importance of projecting an image of toughness.
Another key factor in the rise of Brand GOP is their incessant Demonization of Democrats.
The Repugs have a huge infrastructure devoted to creating and destroying Straw Man Democrats -- using the image of pointy headed elitists, sniveling girly men, and socialistic slave masters as the bleeding edge of the GOP's emotional chain jerking.
Never under-estimate the power of the reptilian brain on the (both small c and large C) conservative mind.
Unfortunately, the Leaders of the Democratic Party have all too often played the willing fool to GOP smears. Our Leadership seems to think that Sam Rayburn is still Speaker of the House, and all that we need is a magic sound bite and our 60% permanent majority will be restored.
Of course, this myopia and denial breeds a Democratic Consultant Class that tells the Leadership what it wants to hear -- just as the rage and fury of the GOP's years in the wilderness gave rise to Political Hit Men of the Atwater-Rove persuasion, the timidity of Democrats led to the rise of the milk toast consultants like Shrum, Devine, and Cahill.
The good news is, Democratic Rage is beginning to shake up the establishment; the bad news is, the Party infrastructure is still completely clueless on so many of the critical marketing challenges we face. On the other hand, even with all of the Democratic ineptitude and consolidated GOP power, the country is evenly divided and moving in our direction -- GOP bullshit is a piss poor foundation for a long term re-alignment. But if they succeed in packing the Supreme Court, we may lose everything.
I wish we had less of the Chinese curse of interesting times.
Kathryn,
I like your way of thinking. Is there anyway you can get the Democrats in Congress to think likewise?
Posted by obelus at May 31, 2005 08:46 AMOur esteemed leader held a press conference today. (The last day of May so as not to break his commitment to hold at least one a month. How considerate of him.)
Regarding Iraq;
"What you're seeing is a group of frustrated and desperate people who kill innocent life and we obviously mourn the loss of every life, but I believe the Iraqi government is plenty capable of dealing with them,".
Immediately after stating this the press corp broke out enmasse in a serious fit of the chuckles. Bush, unaware that his nose had spontaneously grown several inches during his remarks, stood staring, silently, confusedly, in his trademark pevish way at the jovial group before finally calling for the next question.
Posted by muckcat at May 31, 2005 08:56 AMexcellent post! I can only hope that the DNC, DCCC and others pay attention. I listened to the press conference a little while driving into work. There is another side to this despair--Bush is getting just plain boring. The repetition bit will work if the audience is moderately receptive, but at least on radio it sounded as if there were no energy in the room, apart from those few flickers where Bush could remind himself `Hey I am the pres'dent who's willin' to push congress to take on tuff stuff'. He did unleash another corker of a bushism, saying that the released prisoners from Gitmo were disassemblers, and even explaining to the obvious diction challenged reporters that dissassemble means lying. Wow!
When even the reporters start to get bored, apart from the true believers, you know lameduckery is not around the corner, it is here.
Posted by dcspeculator at May 31, 2005 09:53 AMSteve,
Thanks. Great post!
Bush and the GOP bring out something new every 2 weeks to keep the Democrats on the defensive -- Social Security, Terry Schiavo, the nuclear option, etc.
To counteract this barrage, the Democrats must do the following:
1. Learn that attack is the best defense. They must focus on getting the Downing Street memo in front of the public -- in spite of the Republican-controlled mainstream media.
2. Keep the pressure on the "moderate" Democrats to stop compromising on critical issues.
3. Put forward a clear agenda of reform like the GOP did in 1994.
Jonathan
Posted by at May 31, 2005 12:09 PMand the word is dissemble
Posted by benjoya at May 31, 2005 02:49 PM"and the word is dissemble" What? Are you contradicting our President again? He'll send some secret service over to "disassemble" you if you don't fall into line with our new "Republican" vocabulary. Don't misunderestimate our President.
Sarcasm aside, this post is a great run down on what gives me hope for our country, the Republicans and Bush administration are, at the most basic level, not very competent.
Posted by Big Time Patriot at May 31, 2005 04:28 PMThe voting base, people who go to church to learn how to vote raise their children, think and so on are not able to buy gas for their vehicles and food for their families. I truly believe there are many poor religious wingnuts. When the money is gone, watch for opinions to change, especially as word gets out that more and more right wing religious leaders are closet homos themselves.
Posted by molly at May 31, 2005 10:27 PMWTF.. The news media is focusing on 'Deep Throat'.
They should be focusing on 'Arthur Andersons' Get away FREE card..
Lame duck or lame assed?
Posted by Ricardo at June 1, 2005 09:07 AMI'm with Jim S - look for some new military action involving Israel in the very near future; that's what they'll try in efforts to revive the all-powerful "base". Rove and the rest of this cabal is so dim that they still think that kind of thing will work - though, admittedly, what we've seen of the American public lately doesn't do much to contradict there - but even Americans aren't that stupid or gullible. Powerful as this fascist bunch still is, I do believe that, as with their kind down through history, it will be the same old things that bring them down - believing their own press, unbridled hubris, failure to be grounded in reality, etc. Frankly, I'm anxious for them to try something as idiotic as using Israel to bomb Iran - that will seal their fate at last, no thanks to the Dems.
Posted by Mewsician at June 1, 2005 02:02 PM